


I won't leave your stars

by PinkLotus (EspurrsVena)



Category: JO1 (Japan Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pranks, Protect Takkun from Japanese TV shows, Ren whipped, Takumi in denial about everything, pillow wall comeback, some angst for Takumi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:42:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26716960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EspurrsVena/pseuds/PinkLotus
Summary: That Ren liked Takumi was no secret - everyone knew it. However when both members have a schedule together and its time for Ren to protect the other one, it's not as easy as it seems.
Relationships: Kawanishi Takumi/Kawashiri Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	I won't leave your stars

“Whose princess I am? Hm... Ren’s one!”  
Over and over those words echoed inside of Ren’s mind. Obviously, it had been nothing but a joke, the smirk that the pink haired one had sent into his direction to make him react told him that much, but still... Ren couldn’t stop thinking about that moment. 

Actually, Ren’s mind went crazy because of the whole weekend. The final round of the video calls had taken place and naturally there was a lot of fanservice. Usually that meant that they should confess to the fans – or marry them in Sukai’s case- but sometimes the fans wanted some contents regarding the member relationships. Some were honestly curious about those and some others wanted to feed their imagination, yet Ren enjoyed those questions far more than confessions. 

Ren, of course, knew that some fans imagined more than just friendship between some members and the silver haired dancer was kind of guilty in feeding that kind of imagination, too, especially when it came to Takumi. But he just... liked the other one? And his reactions to Ren’s praising were cute, so the older one couldn’t help to continue so. Takumi was more subtle with his affection towards him, but that was alright. Both Ren and their fans enjoyed their push – Takumi – and pull – Ren – relationship. 

However, that was exact the reason why Ren was shocked about the other one’s responses during the event. Because they were sat by name order once again, they sat close and Ren could clearly hear each of his answers. To say he was shocked by the amount of how often his name was said by the other one was an understatement. Sure, sometimes he brought himself into the game, yet more than once it was Takumi who mentioned him. 

Eventually, Ren figured out that again it was just Takumi enjoying his reactions a little too much, but at the same time it was also a little too much for Ren’s heart. Especially, when Takumi answered that he is Ren’s princess. It was pure fanservice and true at the same time. The silver haired one did treat him like a princess sometimes, often, far too often. The pink haired one knew which buttons he had to push, which face he had to make to make Ren do what he wants – unless it was dance practise of course. 

Takumi was his princess, thus hearing him saying that loudly triggered something inside of Ren. It was stupid in some way, they were friends. Well, they weren’t just friends. Best friends maybe, comrades or brothers, yet his thoughts were stupid any way. He was acting like one of those girlfriend-kind of fans already – and he knew that someone of them had claimed him as their president which made the whole thing more embarrassing. 

Ren was glad that when Takumi said that he had a short break. Otherwise a poor fan would have seen him going crazy. But the break was long enough for him to calm down – at least on the outside. For the whole day his mind continued to repeat those words which resulted in him forgetting everything else – including taking a picture with Takumi like he had promised his fans.  
Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered Shion asking him to take a picture together, yet his mind was busy with something or rather someone else. 

After some time, his mind calmed down, yet it wasn’t the end of the drama. They were scheduled to shoot a new variety show. Furthermore, the production team requested Ren and Takumi to come. Not much details were shared, so Ren assumed that it would be another prank show. They were the perfect candidates for that: Takumi being scared of everything and Ren being the real challenge. Secretly, Ren also hoped that whatever the task was, they could do it together. The image of Takumi clinging to him was pretty nice if he was honest and he wanted to be a knight that protects the prince(ss). 

Also, the recording of the show was scheduled at a far away place, thus for the first time in a while Ren was able to leave the Kanto region. The job wouldn’t take him as far as his hometown was, yet it was a nice change of scenery anyway. Unlike him Takumi had a schedule outside of Tokyo in that promotion period already, but he seemed equally excited to get out of their everyday scenery. Thus, besides them sitting close in the car that was driven by some staff member, Ren’s mind focused on the scenery outside. 

Eventually, they stopped at a traditional Japanese hotel somewhere in the countryside. There wasn’t much around, but there were some hot springs connected to the hotel. The staff member took care of the check-in process; thus, the two idols had some time to check out the lobby of the hotel.  
“Are you sure that we have a schedule? This looks more like that day trip you planned.”, Takumi teased him. 

Once more Ren’s mind flashed back to the video call days. There had been a question that he answered with the actual situation. He didn’t even think about this coming true which made him blush a bit. “Well, staff is here, too, so we have one.” For a moment, he thought about sharing his suspicion with his friend, yet the staff member returned and they were shown their room. 

Just as expected their room was a traditional tatami room and a private bath was connected to their room. It was indeed just like Ren had imagined a day trip with the other one.  
Still, there was his suspicion regarding the real nature of their schedule which was once again confirmed when the staff member told them he would sleep in a different room. As much as Ren looked forward to be alone with the pink haired one, he was worried about him. 

Most likely it would be some night time prank with some other celebrity cosplaying as some kind of monster from Japanese mythology. While the whole thing wouldn’t be a big deal for Ren himself – he would most likely sleep through the whole thing – he was worried for Takumi. The younger one was easily scared and thus an easy target. Yet the show producers didn’t think far and considered the possibility that the “pranks” could affect him. 

But Ren could see how affect Takumi was. The pink haired one tried to hide it, but Ren saw it. At schedules Takumi secretly checked each chair, each pen he got and if the light was suddenly turned off you could see him flinch. The dancer felt sorry for him. Thus, he wanted to protect the younger one in some way today. 

On the other hand, he had to do that subtly. He didn’t know whether the hidden cameras were installed in their room already. He couldn’t tell him straight away what he was suspecting. It could result in less TV appearances and they needed those. As long as they couldn’t appear on music shows they had to get their media exposure that way. It sucked in some way. 

“Hey Ren. Do you want to take a bath first or should I go first?”, asked Takumi him. He still seemed to be unsuspecting about the whole thing and honestly, Ren didn’t know whether he should be glad about that.  
“Why don’t we bath together?” The bath might be the only chance where they could talk in peace. Sure, some celebrities were even pranked there, yet the silver haired one hoped that their status as young idols with a rather young fanbase protected them for such things. 

“No!” Suddenly, Takumi’s face colour resembled his hair colour.  
“Why?”  
“It’s embarrassing.” Besides both of them being guys, Ren felt the same simply because it was Takumi and his messed-up feelings regarding him. Yet for the moment he had to play cool.  
“Ah come on. I won’t tell anyone about your inhuman features, angel.”  
“Wrong member.”  
Eventually Takumi agreed, but Ren had to promise not to look until the other one was in the water – a condition he could live with. 

The warm water was relaxing and for a moment Ren was able to forget his anxiety regarding the program or his fast beating heart because of Takumi. Yet he had to warn him. “What do you think will the program be?”  
“I dunno. Maybe something sports related like who can reach the top of one of the mountains the fastest?”  
“You think so?” It was cute in some way how unsuspecting Takumi was. He was just like a deer that didn’t know that it lived in the same forest as a pack of wolves. 

“You think of something else?” Finally, they were approaching the topic, but just to be sure Ren had to stay subtle.  
“Yes. Think of it. Don’t you think it’s a little suspicious? We have a big room only for the two of us and they didn’t give us any details for the show.”  
“I think you are too suspicious.”  
Ren wished he was but he wanted to save Takumi from another trauma. “I wish I was... Didn’t you watch the episodes you appeared in?”  
“Of course not.” 

Actually, Ren should have expected that answer. Of course, Takumi wouldn’t watch such shows. No way that he would re-watch those pranks on top of other stuff. So, he had to be blunt unfortunately. “There is always a section where people get spooked in such environments.”  
“You are kidding me.”  
“Check Youtube later.” 

Ultimately, Takumi checked for the videos and the cheerful energy he had earlier disappeared. “Please be wrong, Ren, please.”, Ren heard him mumbling.  
Yet when they had returned from the bath, Ren had noticed that someone had been in their room in the meantime. Most likely the prank had been prepared. “Act like you don’t know anything.”, he whispered.  
“That’s hard now.” Takumi seemed pitiful in that moment and the dancer couldn’t help but hug him. 

“I know. But I’m here to protect my princess.” Yet instead of Takumi returning the hug, Ren was pushed away. “Hm?”  
“I don’t want that.”  
“Takumi, I doubt we can back off-”  
“No, not that. I don’t want to be protected. I want to be able to face such things on my own. But instead I’m such a cry baby.” Frustration was visible on the younger one's face and Ren could understand him. It must be hard for him. 

“Takkun, it’s okay. Nobody is perfect.” And you are damn close to perfect already anyway, Ren added mentally.  
“I know. I know. But why this? Why can’t my flaw be that I’m chaotic like Shion or untrustable in the kitchen like Ruki? Why did I let myself to become a target?” Desperation was strong in the pink haired one's oce and hearing him talking like that broke Ren's heart.  
“I don’t know...” Ren really wished he could help Takumi in some way. But all he could do is to offer him protection – the one thing that Takumi didn’t want. “Try to tell yourself they are humans like us and no one wants to harm you. Try to focus on me. If I stay calm, you will know that no harm will come for you.” 

Yet, Ren knew that would only apply for the later part of the prank. As someone who always stayed calm with such things, he had no idea how to teach people to become like it. It was as natural as breathing for him and he had no idea either how to teach someone to breathe.  
“I don’t know if I can...” The pink haired one seemed to be down, but his reaction earlier made Ren hesitate to comfort him physically again.  
“Should we inform the staff that you want to leave?” It was the last option. It wasn’t the best one, but Takumi’s mental state was more important than a TV appearance. 

“No, please. I don’t want to harm the group.”  
“But harming yourself in the meantime is better?” It was typical for Takumi to go all the way for the bigger goal. Ren had worried a lot for him already during the audition. For the sake of practising, there were a lot of nights when the pink haired one sacrificed his sleep and after their debut was confirmed Ren had hoped that Takumi would look after himself more.  
“It’s okay. I can do it.” Takumi tried to sound confident but he failed miserably. 

“Even if you don’t want it. I’m here for you and I will help you.” Takumi had said it himself: He was Ren’s princess. And Ren would do everything to protect his princess.  
“Ren... You don’t have to.”  
“But I want to.” Even if it wasn’t Takumi, even if Takumi had never declared himself Ren’s princess and even if they were nothing but strangers, Ren would be there for the other one. It wasn’t fair how he was targeted over and over. 

Ultimately, they agreed that Ren would take the futon that was placed closer to the door, so that he would be the first one to be approached – hopefully. Also, to the dancer’s disappointment, the legendary pillow wall made a comeback.  
It made sense that Takumi was building it. It offered an extra layer of protection both physically and mentally and it was something which wouldn’t raise any suspicion. Their fans knew about that incident earlier this year and the younger one had mentioned it again during their video calls. It was something expected to happen if it was the two of them. 

However, at first both of them had trouble sleeping. Both of them carried a high level of anxiety. Takumi because of the suspected prank and Ren because he was worried for the other one. Eventually, they agreed to go through their choreographies to make themselves phsycial tired. It was a little difficult without a mirror, but they hoped that this action could also shape their image as idols who take their job very seriously. 

As Ren as expected it was Takumi’s screams that woke him up the night. He hadn’t noticed anyone entering the room because he was a deep sleeper but Takumi’s screams – and the other one falling on him – did the job. He tried the best to act shocked about the prank, yet his main emotion was worry regarding his friend. When Takumi had finally calmed down, the interview happened and the whole time Ren quietly rubbed the pink haired one’s back to help him calm down further. 

By the time the camera team had finally left and they were alone in the room again, Takumi was shaking once again. In front of the camera he had tried to play cool and collected, but now his walls broke anew.  
“No one will come anymore. We are safe for the night.” He said over and over to his friend, but the shaking didn’t stop. “Try to take another bath. It will relax your body.”, he suggested then. 

“But it’s dark. What if someone enters? I don’t want everyone to see me like that...” It was obvious how much that “harmless” prank had messed up Takumi and it was of the rare times that Ren felt anger and hatred towards people. He hated them for making his friend like that. Furthermore, hidden inside of him there was also a part that hated himself for being a deep sleeper. Maybe if he had noticed it earlier, he could have softened the blow of the prank. “No one will enter.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“I will come with you.” 

And protect you. Ren still respected Takumi’s wish not to be protected besides doing exactly that. But he didn’t want him to feel worse, so he didn’t use those words.  
Together they want to the bath and while only Takumi took one this time, Ren said on the side and tried to chat with him casually to distract him. 

It took some time for the hot water to do its magic but while Takumi’s body was finally tired once again, his mind was still full of anxiety. “You need to sleep.”  
“I know but I can’t. What if something happens again?”  
“Nothing will happen again.” 

Yet no matter what Ren said, Takumi’s mind stayed on alert and didn’t let him sleep. There was one last idea Ren had. “You know what? I will stay awake. If I notice something, I will wake you up.”  
For a moment Takumi thought about that suggestion. “Would you really do that?”  
“Of course. That’s why I offered that.” It wouldn’t be easy for him, yet for Takumi he would pull himself together. Maybe there were some funny videos that could keep him awake. 

The pillow wall was built anew, yet this time there was a small hole between two pillows. Takumi laid his hand into that hole and told the other one with his usual puppy eyes that he always used when he wanted Ren to do something: “Gimme your hand, Ren. I want to feel that you stay with me.”  
Little did Takumi know that Ren would have agreed to everything at this point. Gladly, he laid his hand and top of Takumi’s one but Takumi took it and interlocked their fingers. “Sleep well, Takkun.”, Ren said and luckily the pink haired one felt asleep a little later. 

While it was hard for Ren to stay up the whole night, that their interlocked fingers made his heart beat fast like a humming bird helped. His hand felt warm not only because of the other hand holding it but also because of the person holding it. Maybe Ren wasn’t much better than a fan who imaged themselves at Takumi’s side, but at least he had those small moments when those thoughts were more than pure imagination. He cherished each one of them because he cherished the man next to him. 

The next morning, a refreshed and somewhat happy Takumi woke up.  
“Morning Strawberry.”, Ren said with a yawn. He had kept his promise of staying away. The whole time he had watching gaming videos on Youtube and once the sun shone through the paper walls it had become a little easier to stay awake.  
“Morning.” The smile that Takumi showed in that moment was enough reward for the silver haired one. To make this smile return made staying awake worth it. 

The production team of the show rewarded them with a luxurious breakfast and both of them never had eaten anything better for breakfast. They were even offered a small tour through the area, yet Takumi declined both for Ren’s sake and the fear that another prank might wait for them. Thus, after they finished the breakfast, they packed their belongings and went back to the car. They had also gotten some local products for the other members, so in the end everyone seemed to leave with a somewhat good feeling – everyone but Ren. 

Exhaustion was his main emotion yet there was also some worry left for the other member. “Takkun.”, he said while yawning. “Are you okay? Do you think you can sleep tonight without any problems?” He really feared that the fear of sleeping was added to Takumi’s list after that prank.  
“You are the one who should think about sleeping now. You look like a silver haired panda.”, the pink haired one replied. “but I think I will be fine. I will be in my room which is safe and locked. No one will be able to enter.” 

That was true. Even on normal days no one was able to enter Takumi’s room. It frustrated Ren in some way, because he was really curious about the other one’s room, yet in this moment he could see the value of that decision. “That’s good.”  
“But now you should sleep. The drive should be long enough.” Unexpectedly, Takumi pulled Ren as close as the seatbelt allowed him. “It’s my turn to watch over your sleep now.”  
“Takkun”, was all that he could reply, too dumbfounded he was about the younger one’s action. Usually he was the one who pulled in their relationship.  
“Sleep well, my knight.”, Takumi whispered and gave Ren a kiss on his forehead. 

Normally, Ren’s mind would have went crazy about this, yet his exhaustion was too strong and the movement of the car and Takumi’s arms around him were too smoothing, so that he felt asleep in a matter of seconds.  
He spent the drive deeply asleep in the arms of the younger one and he only woke up when they were already close to their dorm. 

“Good morning or rather good afternoon sleeping beauty.”, greeted Takumi him when he woke up.  
“Where are we?”, he asked sleepy. From his position the dancer was unable to look at the scenery outside of the car windows.  
“About 15 minutes until we reach the dorm.”, announced their driver whose existence Ren had forgotten the whole time. 

Shocked he removed himself from the pink haired one. He didn’t want anyone to suspect something. Relationships which were more than friendship or a brother like relationship weren’t that welcome.  
“It’s alright, Ren. I don’t think he has noticed. His eyes were glued to the road the whole time and he never commented on us.”, said Takumi in a low voice.  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes. And I can’t believe that Kawashiri I’m not scared of anything Ren is scared of a staff member seeing us cuddle.” Takumi was chuckling and normally Ren would have joined him. If there hadn’t been that one other thing, too. 

“But there was also and you did...” Not only it was one of the rare times Ren felt some actual fear, it was also one of the rare times, he was lost for words.  
“He didn’t see it. But I’m glad you are finally awake. My legs started to hurt from your weight.”  
“Hey, are you saying I’m heavy?”  
“No, that’s what you’ve said.” The smirk that Takumi showed also showed that they were back to their usual roles. Takumi was pushing and Ren was expected to be pulling. 

Naturally, Ren had no problem about that. As much as he had enjoyed the short exchange of their roles, he enjoyed their usual dynamic, too. “You are mean, Takkun. I did everything for you.”  
“I know and I’m thankful for that. That’s why I invite you to eat with me tomorrow.”  
“In your room?”  
“Never. We go to our favourite hamburger restaurant and I will pay.” 

Besides not being allowed into Takumi’s room, Ren was happy about everything. Takumi seemed to have no deeper scars from the prank thanks to his help which in turn had also had started a new chapter between them. The princess had accepted his knight fully now.

**Author's Note:**

> Heyho~  
> Did you all enjoy the RenKumi festival aka the last two days of the video calls?  
> After that float I just had to write them again.  
> The title is based on ONEWE's Parting, a song I can't stop listening to. It's a sad love song but since Takumi loves his stars agenda...  
> Well that's all for today.  
> Let me know what you think!  
> See you~


End file.
